A bodyboard generally comprises an elongated, contoured, lightweight, closed cell, foam core material having an outer top skin and a smooth, slick bottom skin. The bodyboard is employed for gliding on water and riding ocean surf.
Typically, in use, the rider of a bodyboard grips the front edge and front sides of the bodyboard with one hand to control steer and maneuver the bodyboard, thus, the rigidity and flexibility of the bodyboard can affect the performance of the bodyboard.
Bodyboards of selected and variable stiffness have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,370, issued May 19, 1992; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,890, issued Jul. 6, 1993. These patents provide for a bodyboard composed of a semirigid, foam core material with a sheet of fiber mesh to stiffen the bodyboard from the tail toward the front end, and the use of a plurality of arcuate channels in the top surface of the nose end to enhance the flexibility of the nose portion of the bodyboard for rider control.
Many present bodyboards use a stringer system to increase the bodyboard rigidity and performance. The stringer system employs an elongated rod or element which is inserted and secured longitudinally in the foam core material. A stringer system would generally include a fiberglass or graphite rod which is centrally inserted and adhesively secured in a hole in the foam core material prior to application of the top and bottom skin layers.
The disadvantage of the current stringer systems used is that in extreme conditions of use or with long wear and use, when the board is bent up harshly or frequently, the stringer rod can and does pop out of the either the top deck or the bottom of the bodyboard. Such pop out of the stringer ruins the bodyboard and can possibly injure the rider. This problem is caused because the stringer does not flex or bend as easily as the foam board core material, usually a lightweight, low density, closed cell, polyethylene foam material which surrounds the stringer rod.
It is therefore desirable to provide a new and improved bodyboard and method of manufacture and use, which overcomes some of the disadvantages of the prior art bodyboards.